GCI Magazine: What US Women Want in Lash & Brow Products

When it comes to iconic beauty products, few hold as important a place in the heart of consumers as those for eyelashes and eyebrows. Consumers across all age ranges shop for these products on a routine basis, are attuned to the trends and techniques guiding the category, and consider items to preen and perfect their lashes and brows an important part of their regular, daily beauty routine.

From how she likes her brows shaped to what lash look she thinks has had its moment and is now out, consumers told us everything they were loving (and not loving) about products, looks, and trends for lashes and brows, as well as where they are shopping, how much they are spending, and how often. In the past 12 months, 66% of consumers ages 18 – 54+ have purchased products or services for both their lashes and their brows, with mascara and brow pencils being the most often purchased product within the category. To get a feel for this and other vitally important data about this sub-section of the overall color cosmetics sector, The Benchmarking Company chatted with more than 7,000 beauty consumers in April 2018 about all things lash and brow, and the results were pretty colorful. Respondent answers were reported as a whole, and by age generation.

Products & Usage

Lash products have always been a popular staple with beauty consumers, so it will come no surprise that across all age spectrums, they still are popular. Consumers are buying and using products to thicken, lengthen, volumize, separate, water-proof, and otherwise enhance their eyelashes in similar numbers. In the past 12 months, mascara, eye makeup remover, and lash curlers were the top three products purchased by consumers of all ages for lashes; for brows: brow pencils, tweezers, and brow brushes were the top three items purchased.

For certain items like mascara, mascara primer, and eye makeup remover, purchase patterns are similar amongst all consumers. However, it’s interesting to note that Gen Z are buying the most false eyelashes of all age groups (66%), with Millennials not far behind at 50%. And while age probably does account for some of this— the reason could also be because as the two younger demographics represented, these women are also among the first generation to be have false lashes presented as part of a normal, everyday beauty routine by the beauty influencers and YouTube stars that are setting the trends these consumers are following. By contrast, Gen X and Boomers matured into their beauty routines at a time when false eyelashes were not always easy to find, cumbersome to apply, and generally considered for ‘special occasion’ items.